Apparatus for drying seed-cotton



1932- c. A. BENNETT 1,871,773

APPARATUS FOR DRYING SEED COTTON Filed July 30. 1951 7 8 I I0. l4 1 la YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllb I o g o o o o s o 8 o a l o 0 PM) C I I v I I INVE/VTUR 1 F 1:: ffjjlgii 1 M7 Patented Aug. 16,1932 I UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE f CHARLES ABEL BENNETT, E wAsHINGToN COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, AsSIGNoE 'ro THE GOVERNMENT A D THE norm 0]? THE UNITED STArEsoE AMERICA A thereon.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING SEED-COTTON Application filed Jul 30,1931. Serial No. 554,048.

(GBANTED'UNDEE THE Aer or MARCH 3', 1888, As AMENDED Ann. so, 1928; s70 o.e. 757

This application is made under theact of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat. 625) and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its ofiicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or any person in the United States without payment to me of any royalty My invention relates to improvements in seed-cotton drying apparatus in which the drying process (now generally known as the Government Process) developed by the United States Department of Agriculture is applied, and in which concurrent volumes of heated atmosphere and seed-cotton are-pneumatically forced along paths or channels so as to thoroughly expose the said seed-cotton to the penetration and drying action of the heated atmosphere for a sufficient length of time to secure an adequate degree of dryness essential to optimum cleaning, extracting and ginning of said seed-cotton.

Prior to my "invention all driers for seed cotton have utilized apparatus including 'moving mechanical parts within the drier, such as trays, conveyors, aprons, vibrating shelves, revolving, tubes or cylinders, and the like; the designs of which usually precluded construction by'the average cotton planter or ginner. My invention eliminates all moving mechanisms within the drier by blowing the seed-cotton at a pre-determined velocity through the dried tower, and thus permits any cottonplanter or cotton ginner to construct the same. i

Driers produced prior to my invention have usually lacked accessibility or means for the purposes of cleaning out the apparatus from time to time in order to avoid a mixing of pedigreed or special-seed. As willbe seen hereinafter, my invention provides a most simple and effective means for cleaningout the drier at any time.

A In my research work and investigations for the United States Department of Agriculture as a drying engineer and as the en 'neer 'for the U. S. Cotton Ginning Laboratory, I have discovered certain facts further bearing upon the drying of seed-cotton which are as follows:

First, that damp seed-cotton may be moved 7 portioning of said enclosed passage areas for.

any given volumes of atmosphere to be delivcred therein, or a volume control to suit the glven passage areas. v

Second, that it is. a characteristic of all seed-cottons to flulf up under exposure to currents of heated atmosphere, especially when violently thrown against a vertical flat surface, and by this phenomenon we note that damp portions of seed-cotton are quickly and readily dried.

I Third, that by providing numerous short horizontal passages and abrupt reversals of flow within an enclosed pneumatic passage, together with means for regulatingv the vol-- ume and velocity of the currents of heated atmosphere, a simple cotton drying apparatus may be constructed which eliminates moving mechanical parts within the drier itself.

The objects, therefore, of my invention,

ratus as it appears on the section line,11 in Figure 2, showing by partial diagram the fiow of seed-cotton and heated atmosphere within the drier; and

S0 First, to afiord a dependable cotton drying 7 Figure 1 is a vertical section of the appa- A and optional outlet- 6 are provided as discharges for the dried seed-cotton and a portion of the moisture laden drying medium respectively. i

The vertical tower 1 is of fairly tight construction to eliminate air leaks, and may be constructed either of wood or metal. If constructed of wood it is desirable to line the inner surfaces of the tower 1 with thin sheet metal (not shown) to secure both smoothness and air-tightness.

The general plan of the vertical tower 1 is rectangular, and the. optimum form of rectangle secured in Government tests appears to be in the proportions shown.

A series of fixed deflectors 4 are alternately positioned between the tower vside walls 1(i and 1b; the said deflectors 4 being attached to the tower side walls 1--a, 1b, 10 and 1-(Z by suitable means (not shown). The deflectors 4 are preferably constructed of metal forming an integral part of the floors 3 and may be supported and stiffened by suitable supports which are attached to the inner faces of the tower side walls 1c and 1.d by suitable means (not shown).

Floors 3 and 5', preferably of metal, extend between the tower side walls.1a and 1b as shown, being supported by the members 3a and 3b which are attached to the tower side walls 1a and 1?) by any suitable means.

Damp seed-cotton and heated atmosphere may be delivered into the top of the tower 1 by several conventional cotton handling methods, one being here shown which comprises a cotton separator 8 having a cotton pipe 7, anunloading suction pipe 10 con? nected to a fan not shown, and a vacuum wheel 9 which delivers the said seed-cotton through the cotton inlet 9-11 and thence through duct 14 into the tower 1 without loss of heated atmosphere. The continuous blast source of heat provides the said blast hea'ter V of heated atmosphere enters the tower 1 at the air inlet 14a, and said heated atmosphere is provided by the conventional means ofa fan 11 which forces thev current of at mosphere thru the air-tight duct 14 in which is positioned a blast heater or radiation elements 13. A boiler (not shown) or other 13 with adequate means for raising the temperature of the atmosphere to a predetermined degree.

Control of the volume of heated atmosphere is achieved by use of a damper 12, or by varying the s eed of the fan 11 by any suitable means. ontrol of the temperature is primarily achieved by'the design of the blast heater and its control valves (not slfown), in conventional manner.

.A discharge outlet for the dried cotton is provided at the bottom funnel or hopper 1-f of the vertical tower 1. The regular ginning suction pipe (not shown) connects to suction pipe 15 into which the hopper 1--f discharges. It is optional to -provide a course screen or perforated plate 6 opposite the bottom floor 5 to permit discharge of excess hot air, loose trash and dirt as the dried seed-cotton enters the bottom funnel 1f.

It should be understood that the method of feeding or discharging cotton as well as the positioning of piping, fans and heaters are of secondary importance to my invention, and may be effected without departing from the spirit of my invention. Some planters will desire to discharge into a bin.

In such case the suction pipe 15 may be omitted. Qthers may desire-to place the'sep: arator 8, fan 11 and heater 13 on the level of their ginning floors, which is feasible with my device.

Referring 'to the operation of my drier'and;

the application thereto of the Government drying process, it will be seen that the damp seed-'cottonis dropped into a continuous blast of heated atmosphere and is thence blown into the top hood 1e of the vertical tower 1, thereafter passing along the floor 1g and thence traveling in a. tortuous descending path along the several floors 3 and 5 to the outlet 15a.

The Government drying processprescribes a temperature of not more than 200 degrees Fahn, a volume of heated atmosphere of from 40 to cubic feet per pound of damp seedcotton, and an exposure of from 45 to 180 seconds. My control of volumes and temperatures has hereinbefore been explained. I conof seed-cotton C as it leaves each floor 3.

Thus the seed-cotton locks C impinge violently, butewithout damage, against the tower sides 1-0 and1d while the-currents of heated atmosphere whip around the floor members 3b in abrupt reversals of approxin mately degrees; Following the impingement of the seed-cotton locks C against the heated vertical surfaces formed by the tower sides'10 and 1d, the said seed-cotton drops down to the deflectors 4 and thence again into the conveying currents of heated atmosphere. 7 1

By selecting an adequate number of floors 3 for this vertical drier, it is also feasible to 5 adapt my invention to the varying moisture content conditions which are to be found in the difierent sections of the cotton growing regions of the United States.

I am aware that prior to my invention various cotton driers have been made which employ the Government process. I do not glaim such a combination'broadly, therefore, ut

I claim: A cotton drying apparatus of the character described comprising an enclosed vertical tower of substantially air-tight construction, means for introducing and pneumatically conveying seed-cotton therein, staggered nonforaminous floors arranged horizontally I Within said tower to form a descendingzigzag plenum chamber for both said seed-cotton and heated atmosphere, a heated atmosphere generator, inlets and outlets for continuous flow of heated atmosphereand seed-cotton concurrently through said descending zigzag plenum chamber within said vertical tower, means for discharge of foreign matter and excess heated atmosphere from said vertical tower, and means for discharge of dried seed-cotton from the bottom of said vertical tower.

CHARLES ABEL BENNETT. 

